Investigators discovered, after shooting Estrada, that he was armed with a pellet gun.

"You couldn't tell if it was real or fake," said Michael Coussons, a neighbor who said Wednesday he saw the fatal shooting unfold.

LCPD officers had responded around 4 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a man with a gun, according to a news release. Three officers arrived, Coussons said, two bearing AR-15s and the other with a shotgun to the 1300 block of Bronco Way.

Initially Estrada was unarmed, the news release stated. At some point he went to his mobile home and retrieved the pellet gun.

Arthur Woods, another neighbor, said he saw Estrada wave something at the police moments before they fired.

Several neighbors heard multiple shots. One man described it "like Black Cats," referring to the firecrackers. Those who live closer to Estrada's home said they heard three or four shots.

He was initially transported to Memorial Medical Center, then flown to University Medical Center of El Paso where he died about 6:30 p.

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m.,

LCPD said in a news release sent about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Coussons said he could not tell which officers fired. All three have been placed on standard administrative leave, according to the news release. LCPD spokesman Dan Trujillo said that typically occurs when officers fire weapons in the line of duty. They have not been named.

Police confirmed Estrada's identity late Wednesday afternoon. Several neighbors called him Joey Estrada.

Coussons, 17, said he saw Estrada walking - occasionally stumbling - through the mobile home park near Valley Drive and Avenida de Mesilla about 3 p.m. Later, Coussons said, he saw and heard Estrada ask another neighbor to "hide" him then point the pellet rifle at the man when he refused.

Estrada appeared drunk and seemed like he "wanted to fight with anybody," Coussons said.

An autopsy and toxicology report will be conducted as part of the investigation, Trujillo said.

That investigation will be conducted by a local task force composed of officials from LCPD, New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State University Police.

Officials from those agencies said Wednesday that, typically, the agency involved takes the lead in the investigation, though sometimes they ask another agency to take that role. Trujillo said he had not heard how LCPD was going to proceed in this case.

Once that investigation is complete, officials will hand over reports to 3rd Judicial District Attorney Mark D'Antonio, who will determine if any of the officers will face criminal charges in the fatal shooting.

"I also have the responsibility to make sure they're acting within their own procedures," D'Antonio said.

He admitted it's very early in the investigation, but, D'Antonio said, the initial briefings he has received indicate the officers acted properly.

The actions of LCPD officers have come under scrutiny recently. Earlier this year a federal judge cleared the department and an officer of wrongdoing in the 2010 fatal shooting of Lance "Lizard Man" Hummell, who was armed with a nearly 4-foot Samurai sword. Hummell's family had filed a wrongful death civil suit, seeking $14 million.

During that trial, a nationally known use-of-force expert commended the department's policies.

Estrada's death marks the fourth fatal shooting involving LCPD officers since 2010. It is the first since December 2011, when officers killed Robert Montes near Espina Street and Foster Road.

In 2007, Estrada pleaded no contest to aggravated battery against a household member, two misdemeanor battery counts and assault upon a peace officer, according to court records.

James Staley may be reached at 575-541-5476. Follow him on Twitter @auguststaley

Original Las Cruces Police Department news release, 5 p.m.

LAS CRUCES — A multi-agency task force investigating Tuesday's fatal police shooting has learned what led to officers discharging multiple rounds that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Jose Estrada, according to a news release.

Estrada died Tuesday evening at University Medical Center in El Paso.

About 3:45 p.m. Tuesday officers were dispatched to a residence In the 1300 block of Bronco Way in what one caller described as a man armed with a gun and threatening people.

The investigation has revealed that officers made contact with Estrada who was initially unarmed and standing outside the residence. Estrada reportedly disobeyed commands from officers and retreated into the residence only to emerge carrying what appeared to be an assault-style rifle that he pointed at the officers.

Officers discharged their duty weapons and Estrada was struck at least once in his upper torso.

Estrada was transported by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center and then airlifted to El Paso where he died shortly after 6:30 p.m.

The investigation has revealed that the weapon Estrada pointed at the officers strongly resembles AR-15/M-16 style rifles. The rifle Estrada pointed at officers was determined to be a Crosman M-16 style pellet rifle.

Three Las Cruces police officers have been placed on standard administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. No officers were injured during the incident.

A multi-agency task force is investigating the shooting. The Doña Ana County Officer-Involved Incident Task Force includes investigators from New Mexico State Police, the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, New Mexico State University Police and Las Cruces police. The task force reports its findings to the Third Judicial District Attorney's Office.